Title

Authors

Degree Name

MA in Social Justice in Intercultural Relations

First Advisor

Kenneth Williams

Abstract

There is a paucity of research focusing upon the needs of domestic Black students at a predominately White institution of higher learning. Even scarcer is research specifically targeting or inclusive of international Black students. This research study covered a 15-year period with the intent to learn the collective views of domestic and international Black students about race during the on-campus phase at the SIT Graduate Institute. The three main foci were peer-to-peer racism, faculty-to-student racism, and Black students’ views on curricular diversity. Special attention was given to expectations, mentorship, and the historical impact SIT has had upon Black students.

Eleven respondents completed a questionnaire administered via Survey Monkey. Findings show a direct correlation between students’ racial expectations prior to their arrival on campus and their ensuing experiences. International Black students based their relational expectations mostly around nationality, while domestic Black students more around color. Additionally, international Black students defined racism as overt prior to their on-campus experience, while domestic Black students defined racism as subtle. International Black students perceived racism on campus at a lesser percentage than their domestic counterparts.

This study unveiled a chasm between domestic and international Black students’ relationships with each other, as well as other critical racial issues. It further uncovered a great need for more domestic Black faculty and students at SIT. There were negative variances across the board with regard to Black students’ perceptions of their individual relationship with other races/ethnicities versus the entire group with which they identify.

Disciplines

Education | Race and Ethnicity

Recommended Citation

Marks, André Devon, "When Black Is The Same Color: A Collective View of Domestic and International Black Students on Race at the SIT Graduate Institute" (2010). Capstone Collection. 1369.
http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/capstones/1369